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Veronika
Mudra Lewis.

Veronika Mudra Lewis is the founder and CEO of White Ribbon USA. She works to prevent domestic violence and strengthen protections for survivors and their children, bringing their experiences into public advocacy and policy discussions.

Her work with White Ribbon spans Ukraine and the United States, from public awareness campaigns to congressional events and collaboration with veterans’ organizations. In each setting, she has advocated for a broader response to abuse: involving men in prevention, supporting families, and asking institutions to take responsibility for the people they serve.

White Ribbon USA is part of an international movement that began in Canada in 1991. Under Mudra Lewis’s leadership, the organization has brought its pledge to communities, professional associations, and public institutions across the United States.

Background

Born in Kyiv, Mudra Lewis was raised by her mother and grandmother and studied social work and financial management. Her personal experience of domestic violence later shaped the direction of her public work.

After seeking asylum in the United States with her son, she faced proceedings under the Hague Convention concerning his return to Ukraine. The experience became a lasting focus of her advocacy for families navigating abuse, displacement, and international custody disputes.

I joined this campaign first as a volunteer.

Veronika Mudra Lewis, Smiley Movement interview, 2023

White Ribbon Ukraine

Mudra Lewis co-founded White Ribbon Ukraine in 2014. What began with volunteering grew into leadership of a national campaign to raise awareness of domestic violence and encourage men to speak out against it.

The campaign brought her into contact with policymakers, police, diplomats, and community organizations. In 2017, she advocated in Ukraine’s Parliament for the criminalization of domestic violence and helped establish annual White Ribbon Days in Parliament.

Her international outreach included a White Ribbon gathering in Kyiv in 2019, where she presented the campaign to U.S. diplomat William Taylor and Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.

Veronika Mudra Lewis in conversation with U.S. diplomat William Taylor at a reception in Kyiv.

With U.S. diplomat William Taylor at a White Ribbon gathering in Kyiv, 2019.

Founding White Ribbon USA

Mudra Lewis went on to establish White Ribbon USA in 2018. Based in Los Angeles, she developed its advocacy in the United States while continuing her work on the challenges facing survivors and their children.

The organization’s pledge asks people to speak up against sexual harassment, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Its campaigns connect that individual commitment with prevention efforts in workplaces, public institutions, and communities. Mudra Lewis has also spoken publicly about her experience, including at TEDxModenaWomen in 2018.

Veronika Mudra Lewis with a colleague outside Representative Anthony Brindisi's office on Capitol Hill, holding White Ribbon USA materials.

Bringing the campaign to congressional offices on Capitol Hill.

Veronika Mudra Lewis being interviewed by a Voice of America crew in a Capitol Hill corridor.

Interviewed by Voice of America on Capitol Hill.

I didn’t expect to get that much support. It gave me strength to keep on doing what I was doing.

Veronika Mudra Lewis, VA News, 2021

The White Ribbon VA campaign

The White Ribbon VA campaign extended this work into the veteran community. In April 2021, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough and senior VA leaders took the pledge at a virtual ceremony attended by hundreds of VA and veterans’ service organization leaders. The campaign encouraged staff, veterans, families, and caregivers to help prevent harassment and violence.

White Ribbon Day in Congress brought these concerns to Capitol Hill. Mudra Lewis spoke at the December 2023 event alongside McDonough, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, and leaders from the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Psychological Association. The gathering focused on prevention and the support survivors need from their communities and the professionals who work with them.

A room of participants standing with right hands raised, taking the White Ribbon pledge at White Ribbon Day in Congress.

Participants take the White Ribbon pledge at White Ribbon Day in Congress.

We need to find a way to personally send the message that this is happening.

Veronika Mudra Lewis, on Reunited, 2020

The Hague Convention and Reunited

The safety of children in international custody disputes remains central to her advocacy. Drawing on her own experience, Mudra Lewis has called for domestic violence to receive greater consideration in Hague Convention proceedings, particularly when a parent has left an abusive relationship to protect a child.

That concern also informed Reunited, a short film developed through White Ribbon USA about a mother and child facing a Hague Convention petition after fleeing abuse. Directed by Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri and written by Jamie Donoughue, the project brought filmmakers and advocates together to make the human consequences of these cases more widely understood.

In June 2024, Representatives Lucy McBath and Brian Fitzpatrick asked the Department of Justice to strengthen protections for families experiencing domestic violence in Hague Convention cases. Their announcement included a statement from Mudra Lewis supporting the effort and calling for greater protection for survivors and children.

Veronika Mudra Lewis with a visiting White Ribbon Ukraine delegation holding a banner beneath the seal of the U.S. House of Representatives.

With a visiting White Ribbon Ukraine delegation at the U.S. House of Representatives.

Continuing the work

Through White Ribbon USA, Mudra Lewis continues to work on prevention education, community participation, and advocacy for families affected by domestic violence. The organization’s work with veterans and its support for Hague Convention reform remain part of that commitment.

Her experience as a survivor informs this work, alongside years spent leading campaigns and bringing people together across professions and borders. She continues to advocate for survivors to be heard in the institutions whose decisions affect their lives.